• by Seana Mulcahy , March 14, 2005

We all know that online ads have been sold for over a decade now. We also know that a few years ago a term was coined for Internet audio that wasn't so cookie-cutter and pixilated. After much thought and debate, the term rich media was born. It seemed apropos for interactive media units that incorporated streaming audio and/or video. Finally it was something us Net-heads could sink our teeth into. Hell, we thought it would get us closer to offline creative.

Skipping ahead to the year 2005, I asked many ad folks, from creatives to media people to account people to vendors to tools providers, what they thought. No matter what the job function, most said the term was antiquated. Some creatives sneered saying Flash was included in the definition of rich media and that was "lame."

Many said this category should be blended into the mix of all online advertising. Or is it interactive advertising? Or digital media? You see, dear readers, this writer has quickly found that most of our jargon, much like our ads, doesn't have a shelf life at all. So let's take a step back. When you think of rich media, what do you think? Do you think it's an old term that should be used no longer? Do you think its representative for richer units? Maybe you are like me and think it doesn't really matter nowadays what the heck we call this stuff.

The fact that broadband has become more mainstream is what really makes this online advertiser salivate. No matter what bit of research you look up, it all says that broadband users spend more time online. Why? Well simply put, they love a richer experience. This is not a new concept. What we need is more industry stats to show that our in-page, over-the-page, or video units yield more positive results.

For the past couple of years, we've all been slammed with consumers at large accusing the industry as a whole with intrusive advertising. Heck, even my friends and family think I create "annoying pop-ups" for a living. I won't even venture into that debate in fear of blowing my word count. What I will say is, I am a classic media person. I truly believe in crafting the right message to be delivered at the right time in the right place and with the right format.

So back to rich media (or whatever the heck we should call it): Take a look at the creative opportunities that exist as a result of such technology and publisher acceptance. It seems to me that the gaming and entertainment industries are raising creative expectations to the highest level. We've seen some impressive financial services and automotive ads as well.

And can we have a moment for video? The folks at Klipmart have been doing it for years. Now it seems as if everyone else is too. When I recently spoke with Chris Young, Klipmart's CEO, we discussed the opportunity of video. I have never seen someone so passionate about it. He told me that he thinks there is too much repurposed creative out there. For instance, you just can't take a 30-second spot designed for TV, tweak it, and turn it into a video unit.

Mookie Tenembaum of United Virtualities echoed that sentiment. He remains enthusiastic that advertisers and marketers are stepping up to the plate and realizing the power of video. He said, "A 30 [second spot] designed for television is designed for someone sitting a few feet away on their couch - not inches away on a computer screen." Young spoke of recent campaigns being shot exclusively for the Internet. When he explained the process, it was the same as offline: You collect all resources to go on a shoot, spend a lot of time shooting and a lot of time editing. This sounds pretty straightforward, doesn't it?

Gal Trifon, CEO of Eyeblaster also said he thinks video is allowing advertisers and marketers to push the edges of the envelope when it comes to creative. He thinks there is a lot of great creative out there and research and development is necessary to the success of rich media.

Allie Savarino, senior vice president of marketing at Viewpoint (formerly Unicast), is another passionate ambassador. She thinks the "ability to deliver video and have a strong audience has been a catalyst." She passionately adds, "Advertisers are realizing their inability to reach consumers unless they use the Internet."

As you can see, many of these leaders remain optimistic that their respective firms are at the helm of such increased spending and better creative in the online advertising arena. I plan on building more editorial around their frank discussions with me. Unfortunately, time and space won't permit more now. So I'll throw a couple questions out to you: Do you think the term rich media should be replaced or forgotten? Do you think creative is finally getting well... more creative? If you were to reach out to these leaders, what would you want to know?